Atlanta Braves Open to Trading Julio Teherán
With a 45–46 win-loss record, the Atlanta Braves can forget about challenging the Washington Nationals for the top spot in the National League (NL) East. They are also seven games behind the Colorado Rockies for the second wild-card spot in the NL, so their chances of making the postseason don't look too good.
Since they are on the fringes of wild-card contention, the Braves will have to make a tough decision in the coming weeks. Will they make moves to improve the team for a playoff run or will they be selling? Because if they decide to sell, two-time All-Star Julio Teherán may well be the most valuable trade chip they have on the roster, and they will likely get a good return if they ship him to a contender.
Teherán's name already came up in trade rumors earlier this month, and according to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Braves seem to be willing to listen to offers for the right-hander. However, Olney added that they are only willing to move him if they can land a top-tier starting pitcher before the trade deadline.
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"Rival executives say that the Braves are very open to offers for Julio Teheran, who is under contract for at least two more seasons beyond this year," Olney said in his report.
"The perception of other teams is that the Braves would like to flip Teheran for prospects, but that in order to do so, Atlanta would need to acquire a comparable front-of-the-rotation starter, which is why the Braves discussed Jose Quintana and have checked in with Oakland about Sonny Gray," he added.
Teherán has struggled so far this season. In 19 starts, he is 7–7 with a 4.69 earned run average (ERA) and 1.39 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP). But what makes him an attractive target is that he's under team control through 2019 and he has a very team friendly contract as well. Teherán also has a $12 million team option for 2020.
